The Distress filter does what it says, and can produce
hundreds of effects depending on the image. Using it for type generates very different
results than, say a photo. Lots of fun here. Another nifty filter for use with type
is the Shatter filter. But don’t think it’s just for type. You can make the Shard
size and Displacement settings so drastic that any photo or image is actually shattered
into pieces... much like broken glass.

One of the filters in Xenofex is the “Stamper” filter. It’s not illustrated here
because we’re still learning its awesome powers. The Stamper takes a small image
(the ‘stamp’) and fills an image with duplicates of the stamp. Amazingly, the resulting
image is ‘halftoned’ using the stamp as the dot. It’ll take some more work to fully
illustrate this filter -- requiring a separate article!
Favorites...

Puzzle is one of our favorites, and eliminates maybe
two dozen individual steps in generating a cut-puzzle image. Xenofex allows you to
set the frequencies, depth of bevel, and will generate a super realistic puzzle.
This one answers the cries of many readers over the years, and alone can pay back
the price of the program!

Roundded Rectangle, is another favorite. Did you ever try to accomplish this effect
in Photoshop? Sure, you can do it, with some help from Illustrator or Freehand --
but very difficult within Photoshop.. . . Note that it all starts by a mere selection. No
image required. By simply modifying the corner radius, you can also generate rings,
donuts. or even a chain.

You can not only set thickness and corner radius, but surface treatments and light
source as well. There’s also a color selector that lets you select the color. This
answers many users’ dreams alone.

Television offers some unique opportunities from very
subtle to extreme, like our sample here. This one’s probably one of the more complicated
ones, offering seven different areas of modification including scaneline strength
and thickness to the amount of static and ‘ghost’ offset.

Need a video capture effect? This is it!

We haven’t talked about “Little Fluffy Clouds”, or “Stain” -- both of which could
fill a separate article. Xenofex 1.0, from Alien Skin is an outstanding product,
and deserves our highest rankings. We’re calling it the “BEST
Photoshop Product for 1998" ... and it will be interesting to see if anyone
else comes close in 1999!. . . You can download a free demo of Xenofex at the
Alien Skin website: http://www.alienskin.com, but you may as well go ahead and purchase
it there anyway. You’ll want the book, and it’ll save you a trip back later!